FR2867430A1 - Fitted, covered cushion module for vehicle seat, includes foam padding attached by over-molding to both tubular-frame clip-on section and outer covering - Google Patents

Abstract

The padding (foam) includes a resilient fixture (14) (clip section) matching the shape of the anchoring component (8) (tube); onto which it clips. The fixture is attached to the padding (11), the latter having been molded over it. Seen in cross section, the fastening has a base (15) and limbs (16) with flexible resilience, to enable clipping-onto the anchoring component. The surface (15a) of the fastening which faces the padding, carries a fixed adhesion component (18), which is also over-molded by the padding, during manufacture. The adhesion component (18) is made of non-woven fabric. An outer covering (12) is fixed to the padding, again by over-molding or by adhesion between them. Features noted in the manufacturing process include introduction of foaming liquid into a mold, achieving the over-molding configurations cited. The anchoring component fixed to the vehicle, is tubular. An independent claim is included for the corresponding manufacturing process.

Description

Vehicle seat element trim, seat element

  The present invention relates to vehicle seat member packings, seat members provided with such a packer, and methods of making such packer.

  More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle seat element liner, said liner comprising a flexible liner for attachment to a rigid seat member structure having at least one anchor member.

  FR 2,821,029 describes an example of such a seat upholstery.

  In this patent application, the attachment of the lining on the rigid structure is done firstly by placing the padding on the rigid structure, then by hanging a covering cap with hooks on an anchoring element of the structure rigid to maintain solidarity of the cap and the padding on the rigid structure. Such fixing may be problematic because it is necessary to work in a confined space restricted to hook the hooks in the anchoring elements. This results in a difficult assembly, long and not automatable.

  The present invention is intended to overcome these disadvantages.

  For this purpose, according to the invention, a lining of the kind in question is essentially characterized in that it comprises at least one elastically deformable fixing member which has a shape complementary to that of the anchoring element on which said member fixing device is intended to be fixed by clipping, and in that said fixing member is fixed to the padding by overmolding the padding on the fastener.

  Thanks to these arrangements, the attachment of the lining on the rigid structure is greatly simplified. In fact, the padding directly carries the fixing member during the production of the padding by molding, the over-molded fixing member can then be fixed to the rigid structure by elastic deformation and clipping, simply by imposing a pressure on the trim and / or the structure placed opposite.

  In preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more of the following arrangements may also be used: said fixing member has, in cross-section, a base and at least one elastically flexible wing relative to the base, said wing being adapted to move away from an equilibrium position during the insertion of the anchoring element into said fixing member, and to return to said position of balance after insertion, so as to maintain the anchoring element on said fastener; - Said fixing member has a gripping face directed towards said padding, on which is fixed an adhesive member which is further overmolded by the padding during overmolding of the padding on the fastener; said adhesion element is made from non-woven fibers; - The liner further comprises a covering cap attached to said padding; - said covering cap is fixed on said padding by overmolding the padding on said cap or by bonding the cap on said padding.

  According to another aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle seat element comprising: - such a lining, and - a rigid seat element structure having at least one anchoring element of complementary shape to said fastening member.

  According to another aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle seat element comprising: - such a lining, and - a rigid seat element structure 10 having at least one anchoring element of complementary shape to said fixing member, said structure further comprising at least one cap anchor, and said cap further having a fastener adapted to cooperate with said cap anchor member for securing said cap on said structure.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it may further be possible to make use of the following provision: said anchoring element comprises at least one tube of circular cross-section complementary to said fixing member.

  According to another aspect, the invention relates to a method of producing such a vehicle seat element lining, said method comprising steps in which: (a) is placed in a mold the elastically deformable fastener (b) pouring, into the mold having a suitable shape, a liquid material capable of solidifying, and (c) forming said padding by allowing said liquid material to expand in said mold, said fixing member being fixed to the padding by overmolding said padding.

  Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one of its embodiments, given by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  In the drawings: - Figure 1 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of a vehicle seat comprising such padding, - Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the padding according to the invention, - Figure 3 is a sectional view of a fixing detail of the padding on the rigid structure, and - Figures 4a, 4b and 4c are schematic sectional views of the relative position of the frame and the plate of the rigid backrest structure according to several variants.

  In the different figures, the same references designate identical or similar elements.

  Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a seat 1, typically a motor vehicle seat, which can conventionally be a driver's or passenger's front seat, or a second or third row seat or rear seat, or any other vehicle seat. appropriate. This seat comprises firstly a seat 2, which comprises in particular a rigid structure 3 in the form of a frame, or otherwise, maintained in a conventional manner on the floor of the vehicle, possibly via slides. The rigid structure 3 generally carries a lining (not shown) in the form of a flexible padding, for example polyurethane or other flexible material, held on the rigid structure, and a covering cap covering the padding. This cap is made of a textile material, leather, synthetic or other.

  The rigid structure 3 of the seat is generally, but not necessarily, linked to the backrest 4 shown partially broken away in FIG. 1, for example by a fixed, rotary, pivot or other connection. Such a backrest 4, in a similar way, has a rigid structure 5. This rigid structure 5 comprises, in the illustrated case, a rigid plate 6, for example a stamped metal plate having stiffening ribs 7. This plate has a front face 6a turned towards an occupant of the seat, and a rear face 6b (Figure 3) opposite the face 6a. The rigid structure also comprises an anchoring element on the padding, for example in the form of a frame 8 fixed to the plate for example by welding, and being for example in the form of a bent tube, of annular section , having a first and a second substantially vertical branch 8a parallel each extending on a lateral portion of the plate 7 (only one branch 8a is visible in Figure 1), and a first and a second substantially horizontal branches 8b extending respectively on upper and lower portions of the plate, interconnecting the substantially vertical branches 8a.

  In a conventional manner, the rigid structure also carries headrest pins 9 for attaching a headrest.

  When fastening the frame 8 to the plate 6, particular account shall be taken, for the relative positions of the frame and the end of the plate 6, of European regulations ECE 17 and ECE 21 relating to the positioning of the sharp edges of the structures rigid seats in the seat to ensure occupant safety. These regulations, which require that a so-called contact sphere, 165 mm in diameter, can not come into contact with the sharp edges of the seat, can cause the end of the plate 6 to be modified in several ways, as shown in the drawings. Figures 4a, 4b, 4c, on each of which the sphere of contactability 19 is shown.

  In FIG. 4a, the frame 8 is close to the end 6c of the plate 6, and the latter is folded at right angles to the plate 6.

  In FIG. 4b, the frame 8 is further away from the end 6c of the plate 6, and the latter is folded at an acute angle with respect to the plate 6.

  In Figure 4c, the frame 8 is very far from the end 6c of the plate 6, and the latter is bent 10 inwardly.

  The backrest 4 comprises a lining 10 carried by the rigid structure, for example by the front face 6a of the plate 6, which generally comprises a flexible padding 11 made of polyurethane foam and a covering cap 12 covering the padding 11 and giving a finishing appearance to the filling.

  According to the invention, the rear face 11a of the padding (Figure 2), which comes into contact with the front face 6a of the plate 6, has a recess 13 on all or part of its periphery, and positioned to correspond to the position and shape of the frame 8 used for fixing the padding 11 on the plate 6. This recess thus has, in cross-section, a generally semicircular shape, of sufficiently large diameter to receive the frame 8. It s also extends in two lateral portions 13a interconnected by upper and lower portions 13b.

  In the recess are placed three fixing members of the lyre type 14, which are described in connection with Figure 3. One or more lyre 14 may be provided in each recess for attachment to a corresponding branch 8a, 8b of the frame.

  As shown in Figure 3, which is a partially sectional view of Figure 2 along the line III-III, the lyre 14 has a partially annular shape with a base 15 and two wings 16 extending from the base 15. The lyre 14 is made of plastic material having appropriate hardness and elasticity characteristics. The lyre 14 is sufficiently flexible so that the wings 16 can be moved elastically laterally relative to the base 15 during the insertion of the frame 8 in the lyre 14, and sufficiently rigid to ensure good mechanical strength of the assembly. The lyre 14 has guide portions 17 located at the ends of the flanges 16, substantially V, to guide the frame 8 in the hollow internal space defined by the base 15 and the two flanges 16.

  By placing the padding facing the front face 6a of the plate 6 so that the recesses 13 are facing the frame 8, by exerting pressure on the padding in the direction of the plate 6 (or on the plate in the direction of the padding), the padding is easily fixed to the rigid structure by elastic interlocking, or clipping, of the frame 8 in the lyres 14.

  Of course, it is not mandatory to have a frame 8 and a recess of corresponding shape, any geometry complementary to the fixing member and the anchoring element being conceivable in the context of the invention.

  To position and fix the lyres 14 adequately to the padding, these are placed at given locations in the mold used to form the padding 11. These locations are preselected depending on the position of the frame 8 in the structure rigid. Then, a foam capable of being solidified, such as polyurethane, is injected under pressure into the mold, and the lid of the mold is closed to allow it to expand and overmold the lyres 14 predisposed. The lyres are thus directly fixed precisely on the padding during the molding operation, which allows easy industrialization of the fixation of the lyres on the padding.

  To improve the setting of the foam on the rear face 15a, of the lyre 14, an adhesion element 18, made of nonwoven fibers, can be glued by flaming to the rear face 15a of the base 15 or made by coextrusion of the lyre 14.

  Advantageously, it is also possible to form the covering cap 12 during the molding of the padding. It is sufficient to place it on the face of the mold corresponding to the face of the padding for receiving the cap before injecting the foam.

  A dressing cap made in this way may require, on one edge, a conventional attachment, for example on the upper side of the backrest which carries the headrest, because of the bulk due to the headrest pins which could to prevent the placement of a lyre in a satisfactory manner. In this case, this dressing cap end may conventionally present a hook type cap fixing member adapted to cooperate with a cap anchoring element provided for this purpose in the rigid structure.

  The invention which is presented for a vehicle seat back is applicable to any seat element comprising a seat structure and a lining, and in particular a seat.

  The gaskets thus installed are also easily removable, and used padding recycled because it does not have metal portions.

Claims (10)

  Vehicle seat element lining, said lining (10) comprising a flexible padding (11) to be attached to a rigid seat element structure (5) having at least one anchoring element (8) , characterized in that the lining comprises at least one elastically deformable fixing member (14) which has a shape complementary to that of the anchoring element (8) on which said fixing member is intended to be fastened by clipping, and in that said fastener (14) is attached to the padding (11) by overmolding the padding onto the fastener.   2. Gasket according to claim 1 wherein said fastener (14) has, in cross section, a base (15) and at least one flange (16) resiliently flexible relative to the base (15), said flange (16) ) being adapted to move away from an equilibrium position upon insertion of the anchor member (8) into said fastener (14), and to return to said equilibrium position after insertion, so as to maintain the anchoring element (8) on said fastener (14).   3. Gasket according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said fixing member (14) has a face (15a) directed towards said padding, on which is fixed an adhesive member (18) which is further overmolded by padding during overmoulding of the padding on the fastener.   The gasket of claim 3, wherein said adhesion member (18) is made from nonwoven fibers.   5. Gasket according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a covering cap (12) fixed on said padding (11).   6. Gasket according to claim 5, wherein said covering cap (12) is fixed on said padding (11) by overmolding the padding on said cap or by bonding the cap on said padding.   A vehicle seat member comprising: - a trim (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and - a rigid seat element structure (5) having at least one anchoring element (8). ) of complementary shape to said fastener.   8. A vehicle seat element comprising: - a trim (10) according to any one of claims 5 and 6, and   a rigid seat element structure (5) having at least one anchoring element (8) of complementary shape to said fixing member, said structure further comprising at least one cap anchoring element, and said cap ( 12) further having a fastener adapted to cooperate with said cap anchoring member for securing said cap on said structure (5).   Vehicle seat element according to claim 7 or claim 8, wherein said anchoring element (8) comprises at least one tube (8a, 8b) of circular cross-section complementary to said fixing member (14).   10. A method of making a vehicle seat element liner according to any one of claims 1 to 6, said method comprising steps in which: (a) placing in a mold having a suitable shape; an elastically deformable fixing member (14), (b) casting a liquid material able to solidify, and (c) forming said padding (11) allowing said liquid material to expand in said mold, said member fixing device (14) being fixed to the padding by overmolding said padding.